MY CALL - IT'S AN OLD SAYING BUT A STANDARD TRUTH ... 'YOU'VE GOT TO BE AT THE TRACK'

By David Fowler | Tuesday, October 7, 2014

David Fowler is the principal thoroughbred caller for Radio TAB. David, who is a keen form student and punter, has enjoyed a lifetime involvement in the racing media. His personal blog, ‘My Call’, appears exclusively on HRO.

To describe Saturday's Epsom day as a ripper would seem an about face from this blogger after his recent tirades on the standard of the Sydney spring carnival.

It's a well trotted out line but there's still plenty of truth in it … you've got to be at the track.

And that was the case as this blogger stepped out on to Royal Randwick for the first time since Golden Sword won the '93 Epsom.

A lot has changed in 21 years including a whopping four-tiered grandstand that played host to 20,000 plus public and members on Saturday.

But the neighbouring heritage-listed members' grandstand still perched strong and a variety of odds and ends still catch your eye to allow plenty of childhood memories to float back. And I was more than happy to let it happen.

Watching Gunsynd go to war with Triton in the '72 Doncaster was my first meeting with "Royal Randwick" although no such official title existed at the time. It was understood.

The new grandstand is a beauty, and so it should be for the cost, but it was still the same feeling as they charged up the rise en route to the winning post when He's Your Man nailed Royal Descent by a nose in the Epsom.

I positioned myself aligned to the winning post and grabbed a seat a race before. No monitor watching. I couldn't be left out of this moment. Remember those sort of days?

And that thrilling finish accompanied by 20,000 plus cheering reminded me that the theatre of racing has lost nothing.

Nothing's changed. We just don't do it as much.

But when we do we feel just like the 9-year-old did when his mum and dad took him to Randwick to see his hero Gunsynd win.

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I know there's a tall poppy syndrome in Australia but we still have a deep down love of our champions of the turf.

I won't back away from my previous remarks that the equine talent might have been a little short of the silk shirt department although the filly First Seal seems assured of a lucrative future.

But the cream rises to the top on these Grand Final days and there they were, Waller and Waterhouse, winning six of the nine races.

Waller just keeps smashing record after record and his genuine post-race emotion strikes a chord with the public.

And Gai, well you either like her or you don't … and I do, but whatever side of the fence you sit on, she is a terrific ambassador for the business.

Always right, never wrong and even the most hardened cynic will hang on every word, if only to put her down afterwards.

Gai is "soooh Sydney" and the harbour city is lucky to have her.

And that's not even mentioning Joao Moreira's stunning treble of riding victories. Doesn't the crowd flock to the Brazilian!

Yes the fields were generally small but the finishes were generally exciting so maybe a balance was found.

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I hope those who are hell bent on changing our successful Winter Carnival had a peek at the Randwick results on the weekend.

They would have noticed Brazen Beau, Moriarty, Famous Seamus and Junoob all in the winners' circle after campaigning during the winter.

And these narks still bang on about our Carnival being too long. Wake up boys.

As one legendary pressman said to me at Randwick on the weekend. "You don't get everything right up there but when you do you want to change it."

And he wasn't talking about replacing the LNP Coalition government!

Until next week.

David Fowler